AGnES supports general practitioners

One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) - its sheer unpredictability - may finally be starting to yield to advanced medical imaging techniques. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report online in the journal Neurology that an approach known as magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allowed them

General Practitioners (GPs) can delegate visits to patients and medical work to qualified employees. In this way, they can provide care to more patients.

Neeltje van den Berg and coauthors from Greifswald and Neubrandenburg Universities present the “AGnES” project in the current edition of Deutsches ?zteblatt International ( Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[1-2]: 3-9).

The change in the age structure in Germany has had major consequences for the number of patients. The increase in age-related and chronic diseases requires more house visits to patients. Five federal states have been performing AGnES model projects since 2005-where “AGnES” is the abbreviation for the German terms for a systemic intervention which reduces pressure on physicians, is close to the community and which is supported electronically. This delegates medical services to employees. The authors documented patient data and all work in the context of AGnES and interviewed GPs, practice employees, and patients. The authors’ evaluation showed that the project was well accepted by participants. Physicians considered that the quality of medical care was good within the AGnES project.

Many older adults want to remain active and independent for as long as possible. Seniors want to age in their own homes and avoid moving to institutions or nursing homes. University of Missouri researchers are using sensors, computers and communication systems, along with supportive health care services to monitor the health of older adults who

Asthma is one the main causes of pediatric hospital admissions, both nationally and locally. Last year, there were 900 asthma-related visits to the Pediatric Emergency Department at Golisano Children’s Hospital. Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong is working to lower that number. Asthma care can be complicated, but the hospital is working with area organizations

The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have released a joint statement on the importance of adult vaccination against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable diseases. The statement has been endorsed by 17 other medical societies representing a range of practice areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control

Helping adolescents with arthritis develop the skills and secure resources to assure that their health care needs are met as they transition to adulthood is an important issue in the U.S. In general, the frequency of which young people with special health care needs receive transition services is low and, to date, no studies have

Socially disadvantaged mothers who receive home visits from trained community visitors are less likely to deliver low birth weight babies than other mothers in similar circumstances, a new study finds. Moreover, the earlier that visits occur in a women’s pregnancy, the greater the reduction. These results held true even after researchers adjusted for factors such